When The Rain Falls
by Orwell is watching-xoxo
Summary: Jane and Maura finally question their relationship, all while in the middle of solving a murder. It doesn't help that the chief medical examiner is having an internal conflict over her biological mother and her adopted mother wanting to spend time with her at the same time. Leads up to "The Rizzoli Family Christmas" 'verse. Rizzles.
1. Unanswered Questions

**Hey, I'm finally writing this! The wait is finally over, guys! You get to see how canon and The Rizzoli Family Christmas inevitably connect. This picks up on the summer finale of season 3; we'll see more of Maura's mother and how they became close after the events of "Money Maker". And yes, I will address Lydia and her baby as well. **

**I own nothing; just my little 'verse. **

_**When The Rain Falls- Chapter One: Unanswered Questions**_

The innocence of youth was one thing that was admired all around the world. When a child was murdered, you instantly shook your head and sent your strength to their families. For Jane and Maura, they hated cases dealing with children. Even cases with teenagers got to them; they were all still far too young to be murdered. Most of them were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, it seemed.

Kristen Gates was a nineteen-year-old worker bee. She had devoted most of her time to her job at a local coffee shop in Boston, where she worked as a barista. And, when she wasn't working, she was catching up on schoolwork and studying for exams. Everyone loved Kristen; she was a ray of sunshine to her co-workers and customers. Needless to say, it was a shock when she was reported missing from work that next day, and the day after that. Her parents hadn't seen her since the weekend; even Kristen's neighbors hadn't seen her since she left for work that last day.

When the nineteen-year-old was finally discovered, no one had any idea of what had happened to her. In fact, she almost wasn't discovered at all.

A fragile soul had been robbed of its light, but at what cost? Who would have murdered this beautiful redhead? Everyone was baffled; _why_ would anyone murder her?

o—o—o

Jane Rizzoli grumbled something incoherently as she stared up at her apartment ceiling. Okay, so she had been living here for quite a while, but she had never had a big of a problem as she did right now. And, to make things worse, she couldn't call on her father, seeing how he would rather knock up a blonde bimbo than be with his family…

The dark-haired detective had called on Sergeant Korsak, her former partner and the man who had _always _treated her like his daughter. She thought that, surely, he would have some experience.

Korsak looked up at the ceiling and back at Jane. "Water damage, right?" he asked her, slightly shaking his head.

"That was my first guess," Jane began, her voice raspy as usual. She dragged a hand through her hair and sighed a bit. "Alright, so we gotta find the source of the leak; which means tearing the ceiling. Dammit, the landlord's gonna kill me for this…"

"I guess look at the bright side?" Vince Korsak shrugged a bit, not knowing what else to tell the younger detective, "you caught it before it got too bad, right?"

She snorted in disbelief and shot a look back at the bearded man. "Riiiight. Yeah, thanks, Korsak, but I think that I would have preferred it not get this bad at _all_."

"Hey; I was trying to help," the older detective shrugged a bit, which made his counterpart chuckle heartily, throwing her hands up in the air as a slight defense.

Not even five minutes later, there was a knock on Jane's apartment door. Neither detective had to guess who it was, though. When she opened the door, her best friend Maura Isles stood on the other side, one of her many designer bags hanging off of one hand.

The M.E. smiled at the detectives, "Hi Jane, hello Detective Korsak," greeted them curtly as ever and strode past Jane like it was nothing.

"Hey, Maur. Enjoying that day off?" Jane asked, grinning slightly.

"Mmm. Mostly just getting away from the crying baby," Maura sighed, placing her bag gently on the couch. "Angela tried to talk some sense into Lydia, but… She just doesn't want to raise the baby that 'caused one family so much trouble'."

The dark-haired detective raised an eyebrow. "So… She's gonna feel bad about causing us trouble, but yet she dropped said trouble off on us?"

"I don't understand her reasoning either, Jane, but maybe she'll come around," the honey blonde smiled a little, "at least Angela is enjoying herself."

Jane scoffed. "I dunno how she can. We don't even know if that baby belongs to my dad, or if it belongs to Tommy!" She went over to the couch and plopped down next to Maura's purse, frustrated. "Just… Why? Why _my_ family?"

The doctor spared her friend an innocent look and sat down next to her, their knees brushing a bit. "There's no real answer to that, you realize that right? Not even science has a plausible answer."

The detective groaned and threw her head against the back of the couch. "Maura, why did you have to ruin my hopes? Normally your Google talk is kinda helpful…"

"It is?" Maura asked, a tiny grin growing on her lips. Their eyes met for a short while, only to have the honey blonde catch the dark spot on the ceiling from the corner of her eye. "Do you have a water leak, Jane?"

Jane blinked for a moment, trying to understand what she meant by that. "Oh," she finally added, looking up at the ceiling, "yeah, that's why Korsak's here. He came to look at it."

"You shouldn't be here until it gets repaired," the doctor turned to her best friend, her green eyes showing every bit of concern. "Do you know how fast mold grows in these situations? And… The effects it has on the human body is actually quite scary."

The detective sighed and rubbed the blonde's knee. "Maur, I'll be fine. I'm going to talk to my landlord about it and see how much that asshole is gonna charge me for it."

"Jane, I'm not taking no for an answer. If you won't take my word for it as a doctor, then take my word for it as a concerned friend," Maura bored her eyes into hers with as much sincerity as possible. And, yes, maybe a little pouting.

Jane looked at her best friend and started laughing. "Maura, are you pouting?" she continued her rumbling laughter at the sight. It was… Kinda adorable, not that she'd admit it, anyways. "Where are you expecting me to stay if I can't be in my own apartment?"

"With me, of course! There is plenty of room in the guest house. It's not like you'll be putting me out of my way," the honey blonde smiled at her best friend.

"You keep forgetting that my mother drives me insane. And she also has baby what's-his-face to worry about right?" the detective grumbled under her breath, "my brophew…"

"Brophew?" Maura asked, her forehead crinkling in contemplation.

Jane waved her hand dismissively. "You know, he could be my brother, or he could be my nephew. Ergo, he's my brophew."

Korsak started laughing at that, which got a pillow thrown at his head. "Sorry, Jane," he added through his belly-rumbling laughter.

"I think _Ethan_ needs all the help he can get right now. The earliest stages of development are the most crucial for the right upbringing, Jane," the doctor reminded her best friend.

The younger detective let out a deep sigh. "Fine, Maura, I'll play nice with my could be brother, could be nephew, alright?"

"So that means you'll stay?" Maura asked, a childlike grin in place.

_How can I say no when you look like that?_ Jane thought inwardly.

"Yeah, Maur. I guess I'll stay, if it means that much to you," she told the blonde.

The chief medical examiner lunged for her best friend and gave her the tightest hug that even Angela couldn't get away with.

The detective snorted and rubbed her best friend's back. "Love ya too, Maur."

Korsak watched the two from a far, just shaking his head. If those two didn't fess up before 2012 was over, he would probably just lock them both in the same room with no other source of entertainment, see where that took them…

As if on cue, all three of their phones started ringing at once. Of course, that could only mean one thing.

"Either my ma has something _really_ important to tell us, or there's a murder to be solved," the younger detective reached for her phone, as did the other two.

o-o-o

Jane, Maura, and Korsak met up with Frost at the crime scene. When the body of nineteen-year-old Kristen Gates was found, the BPD was notified instantly. They had been looking out for the missing girl, but their hopes were crushed prematurely when a few witnesses called in a body within the same height range, ethnicity, and build.

This corpse was a petite redhead, who at one time seemed to have perfect skin. Her hair was a matted mess on the top of her head. Blunt force trauma to the head was evident, given the dried blood that came all the way down to her eyebrows. Her face was dirty, scars marring her high cheekbones.

The brunette detective came up on the body, slipping her blue rubber gloves on. "God, that's her, isn't it?" she asked her partners, her voice thick with distress.

Maura crouched down next to the corpse, examining her from up-close. "She was at least nineteen. And-" she tilted the body slightly upright as she studied her back, "this was the position she died in. See, the blood pooled at her lower back. Based on my estimations, livor mortis has set in; she's been dead for at _least_ twelve hours."

Jane looked around at the wooded area that they were in. "It makes sense, right? Someone comes along and kills her; she's surrounded by woodlands, so no one suspects anything until they smell something. By that time, the killer thinks that they've gotten away Scott-free."

"Again, this is just a estimation, Jane. I would need to get to the lab before saying anything conclusive," the honey blonde stood up and looked at her three counterparts. Poor Frost was trying his hardest to get his morgue legs.

"Yeah, I know," the brunette sighed and stood up as well, frowning sadly down at the body. "I'm sorry that we couldn't get to you in time, kid…"

**And that's where I'll cut the first chapter off at. Feedback is welcome, Rizzles family! Hopefully you won't have to wait very long for the next chapter. **


	2. Mother May I

**Hey, I'm back! Here's another chapter, I neglected to bring something up that I had originally planned to in the first chapter, so I'll have to include it this time around.**

**Thanks: IronAmerica, chawkchic and Alexia2002 for their reviews last chapter. Also thank you to the followers and favoriters! **

**I own nothing. **

_**When The Rain Falls- Chapter Two: Mother May I**_

"Jane, what am I going to do? I've had trouble dealing with both mothers separately, and now I have to deal with them _together_, as in, in the same room?" Maura practically whined into her best friend's shoulder, who just stroked her long blonde hair soothingly. They sat on the doctor's couch, trying to watch a movie. However, too many different things began to interrupt them. The first interruption was Hope, Maura's biological mother, who had called to apologize for her rash behavior a month back.

_Doctor Isles had her phone perched on the end table by the couch, it completely forgotten as she and the detective went to watch a few movies on their Saturday afternoon. Neither of them wanted to think about the heart aching case that was waiting for them back at the BPD, so movies were the next best thing. She heard her phone go off in the distance, and Jane automatically went to reach for hers. But when the medical examiner saw "Hope Martin" on her screen, she began to relax some, key word being _some_. _

"_Doctor Martin," the blonde greeted gently, her eyes now on Jane's as they sat side-by-side, "what can I do for you?"_

_The older doctor sighed and rubbed her temples wearily, _"it is I who should be asking this, Maura. I'm terribly sorry that I questioned your confession to being Paddy's daughter. I just… It never really clicked until I calmed down and got Kayleen back home. And then I saw the article online a few days ago…"

_Maura's lips parted, but no words would come. The worst-case scenario had happened when she told her mother the truth, and now she was calling her to apologize? This whole family drama just never ended, did it? Jane clapped a hand over her knee and rubbed it gently. At least the blonde knew that she had _one_ person who would always be there for her. _

"_Hope, I only told you about it because I thought that you needed to know. Kayleen was over at my house because she wanted to confront me about the news article. And… When you came in all panicked, I assumed that the best thing to do was tell the truth," the medical examiner told her biological mother, her eyes beginning to tear up. _

"I want to make it up to you, Maura. I've missed out on so many things in your life. But, I'm going to need _your _help with this. That is, if you still want me around. I know you already have a mother and a father," _Hope smiled down at the phone, waiting for her daughter's reply, _"anything you want me to do, you just let me know."

_Maura had never had a more prominent urge to pass out in her lifetime. Doctor Hope Martin wanted to make up for lost time. Her _mother_ wanted to make up for lost time. _

_The younger blonde's silence was like a sharp knife cutting through Hope's flesh. Maybe she resented her for not believing in the first place…? _"Maura… Am… Am I doing this the wrong way?"

_Doctor Isles wasn't even sure of how to respond to that. "I'm not so sure of what is right and what is wrong, not when it comes to familial issues." She put her hand over Jane's and, truth be told, she actually felt _better_. _

"Well, how about we take it slow? We could set aside one day a week and you, Kayleen, and I can go for a girls' day?" _Hope offered. She wanted to fix the broken bond between her and her two daughters. Maybe Kayleen could actually find happiness in the little time she had left on the earth. _

_A genuine smile stretched across Maura's lips as she bobbed her head needlessly. "That would be great. I… I know this great place where we can get clay baths."_

"Sounds lovely." _Doctor Martin could practically hear her daughter's smile, which meant so much to her. _"How about sometime next week?"

"_I'm afraid I'll have to get back to you at a later date about when exactly, because we've got a case that we're in the middle of," Maura explained, "although, you two coming back over for dinner wouldn't go amiss. 7:30 on Monday evening sound fine?"_

_Jane looked at her best friend. What was she, insane? The last time those two were over for dinner she practically drove herself nuts! But, hell, the detective guessed that it made her happy…_

"Yes, of course. And I do hope to be talking with you soon, Maura," _Hope replied warmly, prompting her daughter to smile brighter. _

"_And I you," the younger blonde hung up after that, bracing herself for whatever her best friend had to say. _

"_Are you out of your mind, Maur?!" _

A little while later, after the two had hunkered down to watch more of their movie, Maura's phone rang again.

_The detective grumbled under her breath as the woman that was cuddled against her went to answer her phone again. "Maura, I think you and Grand Central Station swapped numbers or something…"_

_The blonde answered her phone and placed her head back on Jane's shoulder. This call was from Constance Isles, her adopted mother. Apparently, she was coming back to Boston to see her daughter, and this time she was bringing her husband. For all of the years that the medical examiner had lived in Boston, her adopted father had never come to see her; she had just figured that he was too busy to leave that far from home. _

_Jane could practically smell disaster after her best friend hung up with Constance. "When Constance came over for dinner for the first time, you freaked. When Hope and her heathen of a teenager came over for dinner for the… Only time, you freaked. How the hell are you going to deal with them under the same roof?"_

_Maura just shook her head. Her adopted mother would be coming in early Monday morning and would be staying the week with her. Which meant that both mothers would be under the same roof at the exact same time. "I have no idea, Jane, but what else could I have done?"_

"_Told her no?" the detective scoffed, reaching for the remote, "hell, I do it all the time with my mother."_

"_That's because you and Angela see each other daily. I rarely get to see mine. And now that Hope wants to rekindle our mother-daughter relationship, how can I say no?" the blonde sighed and glared up Jane as she went to hit play. The pillow in her face was so worth it. _

"_Ow. Did you just hit me with your pillow?" the dark-haired woman asked, mouth hanging open in shock._

"_Mhm," Maura replied with a sinister smile, whacking her again. "That's for you being mean."_

"_For me being- Maur!" Jane grabbed the pillow on the opposite end and joined in on the pillow fight. _

o-o-o

The case of nineteen-year-old Kristen Gates started out slow and agonizing, especially for her parents. They were looking for quick and easy answers, which of course just couldn't happen. There were so many theories that Maura had to test out, just to make sure of the cause of death. Not to mention that no one had the slightest idea of who could have possibly murdered this girl.

Jane, Korsak, and Frost had questioned Kristen's mother and father first, seeing how even _they_ were under the top few suspects. But, as it turned out, both of them were at work at the time of their daughter's death. They even brought the paperwork to back their stories up.

The dark-haired detective let out a hefty sigh as she padded towards the elevator. God she hoped that Maura had more information than they had. Otherwise, this would be one hell of a long case. When she came up on her best friend, she was hunched over studying something on her computer screen.

"Maur, please don't tell me that you're looking up shoes in the middle of a case again…" Jane began warily, stopping behind her.

The blonde medical examiner glanced over her shoulder at Jane. "No, of course not. I'm looking over the toxicology reports."

"And?" the detective stepped up to stand beside the ME, "how'd that turn out?"

"Based on the analysis, she had no drugs in her system at the time of death," Maura shook her head. "None of this makes sense, Jane," she turned to her friend, "unless her killer was a close friend, why would she let them that close to her?"

"Think this through, Maur," Jane told her calmly, taking her by the elbow. "The answer's there, I know it is."

The blonde looked back at the body. "All the autopsy tells me is that she died from blunt force trauma to the head."

"Well, see? That's something," the brunette guided her best friend over to the autopsy table, "she was hit from behind, then, right?"

"Yes. But that's not all. There are other scrapes and bruises on her as well," Isles drawled, staring down at the body blankly.

"So… She put up a fight?" Jane asked, trying to play catch up.

"As far as my evidence goes, she was hit once, and then dragged a fairly long distance, where she picked up most of the abrasions across her face. The lacerations, however, that would be the damage of the murder weapon," Maura went around to Kristen's head and began examining her again. "No petechial hemorrhaging, narrowing asphyxiation out."

"Maur, couldn't this be something like Bundy? He comes up to an innocent woman, claiming to be hurt. And he whacks them upside the head the moment that she has her back turned," the detective began pacing a bit, her hands on her hips in contemplation.

"I have no evidence to prove that, Jane. She was struck, dragged, and then struck again sometime later," the medical examiner told her best friend, looking back up at her from the body.

"Yeah, well maybe I do," Jane murmured to herself, turning on her heels to leave. "Maura, if you find anything else out, call me."

"Wait, where are you going?" Maura asked, her lips curling slightly inward as the other woman's did. Their eyes were locked tightly in an intense gaze.

"To do my gumshoe thing," the dark-haired woman retorted teasingly.

"It's what you do best. Go; I'll be fine here," the medical examiner shooed her away with a proud smile.

**I'm so ready for the new episodes to start, what about you guys? Until then, I guess fanfic will just have to suffice. Reviews are loved, as always. **


	3. Love Just Is

**Hey Rizzles family, I come with a new chapter!**

**Many thanks go out to: IronAmerica, EllenRipley8 and JUJUChick16 for their reviews last chapter. **

**I own nothing, as always. And just a warning: I don't ever remember them mentioning Maura's adopted father, so if I'm wrong and my description is inaccurate, I take full blame.**

_**When The Rain Falls- Chapter Three: Love Just Is**_

Jane Rizzoli stood by her best friend's kitchen counter as she watched her scramble through her house, trying to get the last minute things together for her adoptive parents' stay. The dark-haired detective just shook her head; she had never seen someone get under Maura's skin the way her family did. Any other time, she would stay cool and collected, not running around like a chicken with her head cut off.

"Maur, why don't you just face it? You're not perfect, and you're going to kill yourself by pretending that you don't need a simple necessity called sleep," she called over to her friend, making her stop dead on her feet.

"Jane, I just can't do that. My parents' approval means more than you think," the honey blonde met with her best friend's eyes, "I know that you don't look to Angela's approval in the same way, but please try to understand my reasoning."

Jane groaned in disapproval, padding over to meet Maura in the hall. "Oh I get it, I guess. I don't gotta like it though, do I?"

Maura gave the dark-haired woman a radiant smile and wrapped her arms around her in a welcome, but expected, embrace. "Thank you," she whispered, her smile only growing as the older woman began rubbing her back.

"Yeah, well, I'd only do it for you, Maur," the detective grinned, pulling back from the hug to look at the honey blonde. Their eyes locked for several moments, only to be disrupted by Angela Rizzoli. She had just come through to see if there was anything that she could have done; the look of annoyance on her daughter's face was priceless, though, the elder Rizzoli had to admit. She was well aware of Jane and Maura's connection, hell, Angela was about ready to do something about it herself if those two didn't fess up sooner rather than later.

"Oh, I wasn't _interrupting _anything, was I?" Angela asked, her voice raspy as she looked between the two girls.

"What? Ma, no!" Jane groaned, resisting the urge to rub her face distractedly. Her mother had it all wrong. Nothing was going on between her and Maura. They were just friends. Nothing more. Absolutely nothing more…

"Uh-huh. Well, Maura, I was just wondering if you needed my help with anything?" the mother turned to the honey blonde, "because I'm afraid that my daughter won't be caught dead doing anything that might be called _helping_."

Maura chuckled just a tad and broke the embrace she had with Jane. "Angela, that's very sweet of you. There's not much I could ask of you to do, though," she added as the elder Rizzoli gave her a look, "well, maybe you can help set the table?"

The detective shook her head, snorting in disbelief. "You just never know when to ask for help, do you?" She shot her best friend the same look that her mother had just given her.

"I ask for help when I need it, Jane," the doctor padded towards Angela to help her with the tablecloth. She looked towards the clock in her kitchen and took in a sharp gasp of air. "Just like now. Jane, I need a third pair of hands over here. My mother and father will be here in two hours!"

Jane took a double take around the room. And what else did they need to do in two hours? Maura's home was already immaculately clean; you would think that no one ever lived there, that it was just for show. Honestly, if the honey blonde freaked out about her parents coming to see _her_, she would be afraid to see just how immaculate their home was.

Even then, the dark-haired detective headed over to where she was needed. The cuddling afterwards was unexpected, but Jane was surely glad that they had an hour and some change to spare.

o—o—o

When the Isles' arrived, Jane and Maura were in their own little world. The two of them had sat down on the doctor's couch to watch some TV, only to realize just how comfy the other woman was. Maura's head was leaning on Jane's shoulder, but neither of them seemed to mind. Angela was even flipping through one of her rag magazines on one of the other armchairs nearby, (of course, the younger Rizzoli knew her mother well enough to know that when she was reading one of those things, she was thoroughly engrossed. She probably never even noticed how close they were.)

Jane looked over at her best friend, whose green eyes were locked onto the TV screen before them. The detective had tried her best to keep her feelings from leaking out; hell, she even lied to herself about loving Casey and Agent Dean, just so that she wouldn't have to face the facts that, yes, she was falling in love with another woman. No, scratch that, she was already in love with another woman, and had been for… God knew how long now. Maura Isles was that woman, as crazy as it sounded.

Said woman finally met with the younger Rizzoli's eyes and sent her a tiny smile. "Jane, are you alright?"

"Yeah—I'm fine, why?" the detective asked, her husky voice coming out as a shaky whisper.

"You're nervous. Elevated heartbeat, your vocal cords are strained—" Maura began in her normal googlespeak.

Jane sighed, her eyes darting over to where her mother sat. If only they were alone, she would _definitely_ show the honey blonde why she made her so nervous. "I'm _fine_, Maur."

"If you say so, Jane," the doctor rested her head back down on the detective's shoulder, causing the older woman to relax some.

Angela began shaking her head, having been peering over at them from behind her magazine. Will they _ever_ learn?

By that time, though, the three women were interrupted by a knock at the door. Maura sighed inwardly, which caused Jane to brush her knee against hers and give her an encouraging smile. Mama Rizzoli had never seen her daughter do that before to _anyone_; that only reiterated her whole point.

The blonde doctor knew who was behind the door. Hope and Kayleen wouldn't be arriving until closer to five, and it was about four-thirty now. "Well, I suppose it's time," Maura rose to her feet gracefully, her eyes growing wary as she took in her home.

The dark-haired detective reached for her best friend's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Maur, believe me, you have _nothing_ to worry about. Just take a deep breath and be you."

Maura nodded, blinking away the tears that had began to pool in her eyes. "You're always so good to me, Jane."

"Hey, what're friends for?" Jane chuckled weakly, so desperately trying to keep herself from lunging towards her best friend. The last thing that she needed to do was scare her away before they even got to test this so-called relationship out.

The honey blonde self-consciously fixed her skirt before heading over to the door. As she opened it, Constance Isles beamed a smile at her daughter.

"Maura, darling, you look so well," Constance told the doctor, prompting a smile from her. They quickly embraced, and then Maura's adopted father Hank stepped up. Of his daughter's inner circle, no one had ever seen the man before. Jane was surprised that he could actually come this time around; normally he was far too _busy_ to come see his daughter.

The M.E. stepped out of her mother's arms and went into her father's without hesitation. Seeing her so affectionate with anyone but Jane was so odd. Of course, the detective told herself, that was just another chapter in the book of Maura Isles.

"Father, there's someone I want you to meet. Mother, I'm sure you remember Jane," Maura began as she led her parents over to the Rizzolis. Jane and Angela stood up and put on their best game faces. "This is my best friend Jane Rizzoli and her mother Angela Rizzoli. Angela has been a guest in my home for a little over a year now."

Angela held her hand out and shook Hank's hand thoroughly. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Isles. Maura speaks highly of her parents."

"Please, call me Hank. And what a pleasure to meet you as well, Angela," the eldest Isles began.

Jane nodded towards Constance and gave her a tiny smile. She too shook Hank's hand afterwards, "yeah, it's good to finally meet you. It means a lot to Maur when the both of you are here."

Constance sent her husband a look, releasing a deep breath of air. "Speaking of which, Maura, darling, there's something we'd like to talk to you about."

"Of course. Is something wrong? Do we need to speak in private?" Maura asked, suddenly becoming worried.

"No, no. I just… Maura, Jane is right. We never see each other enough, and I know that it means the world to you when we come for visits—"

Crap. Why did Jane not like the sound of this?

"Maura, your father and I are going to be moving to Boston!" Constance cheered, walking past her daughter to place her bag on the couch.

The detective looked over to her best friend, who had a cross between sheer horror and happiness plastered on her face. _That's why, _the brunette's subconscious sneered.

o—o—o

Maura Isles never believed in coincidences, faith, or anything of the like. Whatever happened surely had a scientific explanation, even if she couldn't explain it quite yet. However, of all of the things that were going on now in her life, you would think that she would realize that not even science could diagnose this; life was screwing with her, and was apparently having a hell of a time doing it.

Not only were her adopted parents moving to Boston to spend more time with her, but her biological mother was also trying to make up for the thirty years that she missed out on. At least she had a job to go to, and wasn't at their tender mercies twenty-four/seven. She could spend all day distracting herself with science.

When Hope and Kayleen arrived, Jane had to pull her best friend aside. The pallor of her skin had increased at least twice the norm, and her breathing was starting to become short and erratic.

"Maur, you've gotta calm down. What's up?" the detective asked, ducking her head slightly to stare into the blonde's eyes. She had the other woman's shoulders gently grasped, hoping that that would provide some sort of comfort.

The younger doctor took a deep breath, her eyes locking with the brunette's. "I can't do this, Jane. It's like they're competing against who loves me more."

"Hey," Jane whispered, shaking her best friend slightly, "no one is competing here. You've just gotta focus on one thing at a time, alright? No one is going to love you less if you spend your time with Constance and Hank, or Hope and Kayleen."

Maura nodded, taking in another deep breath. "What would I do without you?"

"Probably go into overdrive mode and start showing hives?" the detective sent her a smile, which was immediately reciprocated.

What happened next, neither of the expected. The doctor gave her best friend a gentle kiss on the cheek, making her smile broaden. Jane lost all her worries in that one moment. She knew that Maura was hers, just in that one move. The next kiss was living proof of that.

**Okay, that's it for me! Next chapter, we get more on our case, and more Rizzles! WOOO! Ya'll know what to do!**


	4. Famous In A Small Town

**Hey everyone, it's a new chapter!**

**I'd like to thank Texas, JUJUChick16, chawkchic, and IronAmerica for their reviews last chapter. **

**Rizzles time, you guys! I own nothing. **

_**When The Rain Falls- Chapter Four: Famous In A Small Town**_

Jane Rizzoli knew when she was about to blow a case wide open. Something about this case stuck with the dark-haired detective, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She sat on top of her desk at work, files sprawled out on her lap. Kristen had disappeared on a chilly November night, just before she was supposed to report to work. Between five and six PM, however, she most likely was abducted by someone close to her and was murdered.

Rizzoli rubbed her eyes wearily as she skimmed the list of her possible suspects. The parents had been at work themselves between the time she had to go to work, and the time that she was murdered. Frost, Korsak, and Jane all went around the city asking about the disappearance of the nineteen-year-old college student. Unfortunately, no one had an idea of who would be out to get her. She was a sweet girl with a heart of gold. Only someone not in their right minds would want to rid the world of a child like that.

It seemed like they were at a dead end in this case, though the detective still had that gut feeling that she _knew_ who had killed Kristen. Jane inwardly relaxed as she felt Maura's tiny hand squeeze her tense shoulder. She hadn't quite been able to call the blonde her girlfriend yet, but she was mustering up the courage to, dammit.

"You really should learn how to relax. Remember when we watched that study on what tension eventually does to the human body?" Maura asked, sliding her hand down to rub her girlfriend's back comfortingly.

"I'll relax when Kristen's parents have the closure they deserve, Maur," Jane sighed, leaning into the doctor's touch just a bit. "Have you gotten anymore test results?"

"The murder weapon seems to have been a baseball bat, due to the splinters of wood we found in the victim's hair earlier today. Other than that, I'm afraid we're still in the dark here in the lab as well," the honey blonde watched as the older woman shifted slightly on her desk. "Jane, we're doing all we can do."

"Yeah, I know, Maur," Jane took the doctor's hand in her own and gave her a gentle smile. "I've still got to talk to some of Kristen's former high school friends. Maybe she had some enemies back then that like to think revenge is best served cold."

"Call me if something big comes up?" the medical examiner asked, getting a quick peck in return. No one with the BPD was surprised when Jane and Maura finally came out about being a couple, as annoying as that was to the girls in question. The fact that Frost and Korsak told them that they were giving each other "googly eyes" half of the time only made the dark-haired woman want to punch them both in the heads.

"Don't I always blow up your phone?" the detective asked, grinning back at her girlfriend as she slid off of her desk.

"Only when Angela is bugging you. Or you're having a bad day. Or Tommy and Frankie decide to remind you of something unpleasant the three of you did during your childhood. Or-"

Jane rolled her eyes at the honey blonde's expense. "Goodbye, Maur. I'll see you later."

As she walked past her, Maura blinked in surprise. "Jane! What did I say?"

o—o—o

"I'm so sorry that I can't do much more than this, mother," Maura began as she handed Constance a container of Chinese take-away. Both women sat side by side in Doctor Isles' office as she waited to hear back from Jane about her meeting with the deceased's former high school friends. Her part of the case was over with for now. (Not that she could take a minute to breathe, but that was just her.)

"Darling, this is fine. I've missed being able to spend time with you," the older woman reassured her daughter with an affectionate pat on the knee. "Now, how are you and Jane doing?" Maura's green eyes widened at that point, telling the mother all that she needed to know.

"Mother, Jane and I are just friends," the blonde tried to reassure her adopted maternal figure. Oh, was she going to get a serious case of hives for this…

"I raised you, darling; maybe not that well, but I believe I know when you're in love," Constance told the doctor before tucking herself into the box of Chinese take-away.

Maura took in a deep breath. "We're doing fine. It will take us a little while to get used to this, but we're managing."

"You know that I would much prefer you have a male companion, but…" the older woman sighed, "well we just can't help whom we fall in love with, can we?"

Just as the green-eyed doctor was about to reply, her girlfriend bolted into her office with the biggest grin on her face. "Jane! You're back?"

"Yeah. We did it, Maur," Jane looked from her girlfriend to Constance, her grin withering "oh jeeze, am I interrupting something here?"

"Oh," Maura smiled towards her mother, "no, we were just having a little lunch."

"I'll let you get back to work, dear," Constance gave her daughter a quick peck on the cheek and closed her carton of unfinished food. "We'll talk later on tonight once you get home."

"Are you sure?" the blonde doctor asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Of course I am, dear," her mother got up from her seat and squeezed Maura's shoulder gently. She grabbed her bag and strode out of the room, sparing her could-be daughter-in-law a smile as well.

Jane watched her girlfriend stare after her mother. "Maur, hey, you okay?"

Maura jumped at the sudden voice invading her thoughts. "Yes, I'm fine. It's just that trying to juggle a murder and both of my mothers at the same time is…" the honey blonde chuckled, "well, it's a little overwhelming."

"Hope still trying to make plans around the same time Constance is?" the brunette detective asked, gently rubbing Maura's back as she stared down into her eyes.

"Unfortunately. I just… I don't want to tell one that I can't spend time with them because I'm spending time with another," the doctor hesitantly met with her girlfriend's eyes, "it's just really complicated."

"Then let me uncomplicate it for you, babe," Jane kissed her girlfriend's forehead before continuing, "you don't have to feel obligated to hang out with both of your mothers. You need time for Maura, okay?"

"I'll try, Jane," Maura let out a shaky breath, still trying her best to spare her a smile. "So, you found out who killed Kristen?"

"Yeah, here you're going to need to sit down, it's a _long_ story," the brunette detective sat down next to the honey blonde as she began to tell her side of the story.

o—o—o

_"I don't even know why you brought me here, lady," David Brenner grumbled as Detective Korsak shoved him back down in his seat. He folded his arms over the table and gawked at Jane. _

"_Hey, show some respect, kid!" Vince chided towards the disobedient young adult. He had been called into the interrogation room at the Boston Police Department, seeing how he was the main suspect in the murder of nineteen-year-old Kristen Gates. She went to school with this boy and, apparently, had some previous history._

_Jane slammed her hand down on the table, pinning a picture of Kristen down for David to see. "This is why I brought you here. I _know_ that you know this face."_

_The young man noticeably tensed up at the picture before him. "Wh—Why are you showing me a picture of Kristen? Yeah—I know her. We used to date back in high school."_

"_Kristen is dead, David. And we're trying to figure out who killed her. You're on our list because you were one of the last persons to see her alive," Rizzoli added softly. She was damn well sure that he did it, the brunette just had to pin him to the rest of the puzzle pieces. _

"_WHAT?! You think that I-?" David began blinking his incredibly blue eyes over at the detectives. "How could I hurt a sweet girl like that?"_

"_I don't know. But our evidence tells us different. You played baseball when you were in school, didn't you?" Frost spoke up, his gloved fingers were holding up a plastic bag containing a few photographs. _

_As the youngest detective began to spread the photographs out, David just gawked at them all. "Yeah, but so—so what?"_

"_The murder weapon that was used to kill Kristen Gates? It was a baseball bat. Struck her once on her way to work, then dragged her out to the woods to finish off the job. Whoever left her there didn't move her after she died. Probably just went about their business like nothing was wrong," Jane began, boring her eyes into the David's, making him squirm in his seat. _

"_Why would I want to kill her? What motives do I have?" the young man asked. _

"_Glad you asked," Frost spoke up, grinning slightly. "There's the fact that you and Kristen used to date in high school, but she left you because you were too clingy. A guy make take offense to that, sure. But is it enough to kill someone?"_

"_You were last shown with the victim on the day of her murder. You stopped her on the street and asked her where she was going," Korsak piped up, a penetrating gaze of his own plastered on his face. _

"_Not only do we have footage of you and her arguing over 'starting new', but we've also got proof that you didn't leave Boston until at least an hour after Miss Gates' passing," Frost added, causing the younger man to burst into tears. _

"_Alright! Alright! I did it. I killed her! But she deserved it!" David cried out, dragging an arm across his sleeve. "She always mocked my baseball skills! I was never good enough for her!"_

"_So you decide to kill her?" Jane scoffed, getting up from the table. "Hands behind your back. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in the court of law. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you."_

_As the brunette detective handcuffed her felon and led him out of the interrogation room, Korsak clapped a hand across her back. "Good work, Rizzoli," he whispered to her, sparing her a wink as a job well done. _

_Jane just smiled back at her paternal figure. "Thanks, Korsak," she murmured back, her pride swelling astronomically. It always felt damn good to end a case. _

**And that's where I'll end this chapter. Ya'll know what to do! What did you think of the new ep? Awesome as always, right? **


	5. Fighting For Affection

**Hey guys! Here I come with a new chapter! Yes, I just posted a new story in the archive, but oh well! **

**I'd like to thank: IronAmerica, LOCISVU, JUJUChick16, and fergz1 for the reviews last chapter! **

**I own nothing, as always. **

_**When The Rain Falls- Chapter Five: Fighting For Affection**_

Maura had never enjoyed another body sleeping next to her. It usually made it uncomfortable to sleep, and she got way too hot to actually get the proper rest that she needed. All of the men that she had slept with were bed or cover hogs. It was really quite annoying.

But then, the doctor considered as she flipped over to face the body that was sleeping soundly next to her, then there was Jane. She was never a cover hog, and she _usually_ stayed on her side of the bed. (Ever since they started dating, however, Maura would wake up to find herself in the detective's arms on occasion.) Now was just one of those occasions. And the honey blonde knew that she wouldn't trade it in for anything else in this world. After all of this time, she had finally found the one that she could see herself with for the next—forever.

As the case of Kristen Gates had finally ended, both Rizzoli and Isles could actually stop and _really_ think about what they were doing. Neither woman had ever been with another woman before, nor did either of them ever think that they would wind up with another woman. This had been the first night that they had spent the night together since their romantic relationship began. Sure, Jane had spent many a night at her best friend's home, especially when baby TJ was still staying there. (Ethan was his middle name. Maura had preferred calling him Ethan, and that name just stuck with the Rizzolis just the same.) But now that their feelings were out in the open, everything was beginning to change. Just laying in the same bed became so much more intimate.

The honey blonde smiled at the sleeping brunette and nuzzled closer to her. She had never felt as passionate towards anyone as she did with Jane. The detective made her feel those little butterflies in the pit of her belly whenever she smiled at her, or whenever she kissed her. It was a wonderful feeling, Maura had to admit.

Jane's chest rose and fell evenly, and her girlfriend just rested her head on her chest, smiling brighter at their proximity. The brunette's grip on her had relaxed quite a bit during the night, but that much didn't matter. She was still in Jane's arms, and she would stay there for as long as she could.

They were rudely interrupted by the honey blonde's phone, however. The vibrations started way before the ringtone did, startling Maura out of her thoughts. Who would be calling her at this hour? God she hoped that it wasn't another murder. She needed some downtime.

The doctor leaned over to pick up her phone, waking up her girlfriend in the process.

Jane rubbed her face groggily, moaning in displeasure. "Whoever is calling can wait," she added, tightening her grip around Maura and resting her head in between her breasts.

Maura sighed and looked down at the caller I.D., taking in a much sharper gasp of air afterwards. "It's Hope."

"Oh joy," the brunette muttered, her voice muffled against the blonde's chest.

The doctor swatted at the detective's arm playfully as she answered her phone. "Hope? Hi. Is everything alright?"

Hope smiled brightly as her daughter's voice registered. _"Of course it is. I was just wondering if you'd be interested in going to lunch sometime soon? I know our first date had to be rescheduled with your case, and all." _

Maura smiled just a tad, looking down at her partner with hopeful green eyes. "Actually, that sounds lovely. What time shall we meet, and where?"

"_How about Dominic's Diner on Southside? Kayleen and I hardly ever eat there_," Hope suggested, surprising even Maura. She always seemed to be so prim and proper, not the type to offer to eat at a less than five-star restaurant. _"Say around 12:30?"_

"Great! Do you mind if Jane came along?" the younger blonde asked, ignoring the glare that she was getting from her significant other.

"_Not at all. The more the merrier," _Dr. Martin told her daughter. What she neglected to mention was that this wasn't just her idea. Constance and she had been talking a lot as of late, and they decided that it was best for them to spend time together, rather than having Maura going back and forth, stressing herself out, no less. Kayleen would be joining them, of course.

Ever since Hope found out about Maura's anonymous donation request for her younger sister to have a working kidney, that was when she looked into the chief medical examiner, and discovered that she was in fact her _dead_ baby. She could only hope that her two daughters would bond over time. They weren't leaving Boston anytime soon, that was for sure.

"I'll look forward to seeing you then," Maura began, resisting the urge to call her _Hope_ again. This was her biological mother for crying out loud.

As both doctors said their goodbyes, the younger one was the first to hang up. She looked down at her girlfriend again, who looked like she was desperately trying to stay awake.

"Jane, you can go back to sleep, you know. Just as long as you're up and dressed for lunch…"

Jane cracked one eye open as she stared up at her. "Are you going to be here with me?" she asked, voice raspy as usual.

"Well, I was thinking about going to get some coffee and a shower," the honey blonde innocently told her girlfriend, which prompted the detective to grunt and get out of bed.

"Fine," Jane grumbled, "I'll get up. 'S not as fun as it is when I get to snuggle with you before dozing off."

"Jane Rizzoli, I never would have pictured you as a cuddler," Maura teased, a giggle escaping her perfect lips.

The detective leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her girlfriend's lips. "Shh. Don't let my secret get out. I never even let any of my old boyfriends cuddle me."

"I should just feel special, shouldn't I?" Maura asked, breathing against the other woman's lips.

"You _are_ special, Maur," Rizzoli pressed a kiss to her temple and led her out to the kitchen.

o—o—o

Constance Isles had really been looking forward to moving to Boston so that she and her husband could finally spend quality time with their adopted daughter. Especially since she was finally settling down in a relationship. This sort of relationship really needed an extra mile of encouragement, after all.

But what bugged the older mother the most was that Hope was really trying to get to know Maura. She hadn't gotten the chance that Constance and Hank were given, but chose to ignore. For some thirty odd years, she believed that her daughter had died, and now that she was trying to make amends, there was another maternal figure standing in the way.

Maybe, the elder Isles thought with a sigh, maybe this move wasn't the best idea.

"Mother?" Maura asked, breaking Constance out of her inner turmoil. "Are you alright?" the younger doctor continued, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.

Constance just gently patted her daughter on the hand from across the table. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

The younger blonde looked to her girlfriend for some sort of reassurance, which granted her a gentle kiss on her forehead in return. No matter where they were, it always seemed awkward to have both mothers under the same room. Maura hated that they both were trying to get her attention, it felt like they were trying to one-up the other, despite what their real intentions were. Even Angela didn't make the doctor feel uncomfortable like this. Of course, she _was_ her girlfriend's mother and not her own, so maybe that had something to do with it.

A dark red haired waiter came over to the table and took down their orders, allowing Maura to take a moment to breathe. This was all beginning to suffocate , her _loving_ half sister, was giving her hard glares from across the table and had been doing so since they sat down. The medical examiner couldn't blame her, though. Hope hadn't taken very good care of her as a child, and now that big sis was back in the picture she was getting all of the attention. She didn't mind that her kid sister was here, but it would have been better if she _wanted_ to be.

Maura looked over at her biological mother as she placed her order. When the waiter left, she made a comment to her. "Hope, I didn't know that you were a fan of seafood pasta dishes?"

The elder doctor spared her long-lost daughter a smile. "I'm really not. I just wanted to try something new on this special occasion."

Kayleen rolled her eyes and stalked off, murmuring something about having to go throw up now. Maura sighed and snuggled into her girlfriend's side. "She hates me," the blonde whispered to the dark-haired detective.

"Not your fault, babe. She's just being eighteen," Jane told her girlfriend just as quietly, entwining her fingers with hers.

Constance couldn't help but blame herself for some of this. If she hadn't been there, then maybe Kayleen would feel less hostile. After all, she probably envied Maura for having twice the attention she never had.

By the time this lunch date ended, the elder Isles knew that she had to make a decision, and she had to make it soon.

o—o—o

Jane Rizzoli hated interruptions. If her time with Maura was interrupted, she got pretty grouchy. The first interruption of the day had been Hope and Constance's lunch plans. Sure, it went alright, but dammit, couldn't she have some alone time with her girlfriend?

When they finally did get back from lunch, the detective happily obliged when the medical examiner patted the space next to her on the couch. They sat there for the longest kinda time just talking and snuggling.

That was all too good to be true, however. Leave it to her co-workers to call Jane up, asking if she and Maura wanted to join them at the Dirty Robber for a few drinks. The older detective almost said no; she was _far_ too comfortable laying there with her girlfriend. After quite a long pause and an even longer glance at Maura, she finally agreed to meet them there.

It was actually a celebration of sorts for the detective and the medical examiner. While they hadn't really _told_ anyone about it verbally, they surely made it known that they were romantically involved, just through their actions.

Not even Frankie was very surprised. He had suspected something between them, like everyone else had, even before they started dating. It actually put both women at ease to know that their friends and family actually supported them in this.

The day had gone so well, all in all, but Jane was just ready to get back to Maura's place already. She could seriously use sleep and lots of it. (Or maybe not sleep at all, if that was what her girlfriend wanted. Either way, she would rather prefer being back at the house with Maura.) _Without_ any of these interruptions.

What was waiting for both girls at home, though, was a world's worth of trouble. Constance and Hank weren't to be seen, and neither was Angela, for that matter. Both the detective and the medical examiner didn't think much of it and just went on to the honey blonde's bedroom. They showered together, which was a new step in their relationship.

Maura tucked her head underneath Jane's chin and snuggled tightly against her body. Both girls were warm in their pajamas and nothing but each other was on their minds. "Well that shower was surely relaxing," the honey blonde began, a sultry purr escaping her lips.

The detective grinned down at her girlfriend. "Yeah," she ducked her head to kiss her lips gently, "I think it was the best shower of my life."

The medical examiner chuckled sweetly, her lips now at Jane's ear. "We'll just have to make the next one even better, won't we?"

"Is that a challenge, Doctor Isles?" the brunette asked, a smirk playing at her lips.

"More like a promise, detective," Maura purred, beaming up at her girlfriend.

Just as Jane went to kiss her again, there came a frantic knock at their closed door. The older woman closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the blonde's, sighing roughly. "Ya think if we ignored her long enough, she'd go away and leave us the hell alone?"

The medical examiner patted the detective on the arm and sighed just the same. "I wish. Let's just see what she wants," Maura broke out of Jane's embrace and went to open the door. Angela was on the other side, her brown eyes wide with anticipation.

"Angela is everything alright?" the honey blonde asked, concern laced in her voice.

Mama Rizzoli shook her head, suddenly so tight lipped. What on Earth was going on? Finally, she spoke up. "Maura, I don't know what's going on with your parents, but they're packing their bags. Where to? They won't say."

And just like that, a wonderful day had turned into a disaster.

**Cliffhangers? Why yes, I do believe I love to pull them on my lovely fans. Ya'll know what to do!**


	6. Dare You To Move

**Hi everyone. Been a while since I last updated, but here I am again! **

**Thank you: chawkchic, LOCISVU, cstarj, IronAmerica, and fergz1 for their reviews from last chapter. **

**I own nothing. Enjoy the chapter. **

_**When The Rain Falls- Chapter Six: Dare You To Move**_

Maura squeezed by Angela Rizzoli to get to the bottom of this... monstrosity. Why did her mother think that it was best for her to move back home? So what if she was spending time with her biological mother, that didn't mean that she couldn't make time to spend with her as well!

The blonde traveled down her hallway, feeling a headache coming on. Dealing with family had always been hard for Doctor Isles, but it had never been like this. Tears began to sting her green eyes as she held it all in. She had to talk to her mother before it was too late. God she hoped that she hadn't booked a flight yet…

When she shot through to the guesthouse, Maura felt those tears trickle down her cheeks. Her mother needed to know that she didn't have to go anywhere. It meant so much to have Constance and Hank here with her.

The elder woman was neatly folding the last of her clothing into her luggage bag as her daughter came into the room. Their eyes met, which only sped up Maura's tears.

"Maura, darling, what are you doing up at this hour? Don't you have work in the morning?" Constance asked, the simplest smile on her face.

"Jane and I were going to lie down when Angela came in and…" Maura tried to keep her voice from crackling but failed miserably, "told us that she saw you and father packing."

Constance sighed, taking her eyes off of her daughter's long enough to zip her bag up. "Maura, I don't know what to tell you, other than I just can't stay here."

The honey blonde stepped forward, clutching at the necklace around her neck. "But why? I thought you wanted to live close by?"

"And that was before I realized how wrong it would be of me to do that to you, and to Hope. You both need time to spend together, without another maternal figure getting in the way," Mrs. Isles told her daughter, reaching out for her hand.

"Mom, I need you here," Maura told her, fresh tears replacing the ones that were starting to stain her pale face. "What if Hope decides that all she wants me for is to give Kayleen my kidney? When Kayleen is all better and can actually go as she pleases, who's to say that Hope won't leave me for good?"

Constance squeezed her daughter's hand with her own, taking her free hand to gently brush the honey blonde locks out of the doctor's face. "I just couldn't deal with knowing that it might be difficult for you to have both of us here and wanting your attention."

"I'd get over it, mom, please!" Maura practically pleaded, toning her voice down as she added, "I want you here to support mine and Jane's relationship." It wasn't time to beg, she had to remind herself.

The elder woman smiled and kissed her daughter's forehead. "Darling, you know that you _always _have my support. Mine and your father's."

Doctor Isles had to clear her throat and blink away any lingering tears. "It's just not the same being able to sit down with you, to have our tea and talk about everything that's going on in our lives."

"I know, dear, I'll miss that too," Constance dropped her daughter's hand and brought her luggage over to lean against the wall for safekeepings until morning.

"You're really leaving tomorrow morning?" Maura asked, her words slow as if she was testing it on her tongue.

The elder woman nodded and looked back at her daughter. "I am. I wish that I could stay a little longer, but I have no place here."

Shaking her head, the honey blonde just turned on her heels without another word. If her mother thought that she had no place here, then obviously she had to work at convincing her that she _did_ have a place here. It might not have been this visit, but that visit would eventually come.

Constance looked back at her daughter as she left, shutting the door back behind her. Why did this have to be so hard to do?

o—o—o

Ever since Jane met Maura, her nightmares about Hoyt would come and go. The detective tried to be strong about it, especially after her boogeyman was killed over a year ago. Hoyt tended to stay out of her dreams whenever Maura was around. When the doctor refused to let her stay alone during their last encounter with Hoyt, Jane would never admit it, but Maura kept him out of her dreams.

To this day, even as the detective held her close as she cried her heart out about Constance leaving, Jane hoped that that monster would be out of her dreams tonight. She had much more important things to worry about, and they all centered on the woman sobbing in her arms.

Jane shushed soothing words into her girlfriend's hair as the two up them lay cuddled up in bed. The honey blonde had just gotten back to their bedroom, tears steadily rolling down her face. The detective didn't say anything, she just welcomed Maura into her arms for a much needed embrace. They held onto each other without much being said between the two. Though not much was needed to be interpreted for the dark-haired woman. She knew that Constance was leaving and that much was going to break the medical examiner's heart.

Maura finally spoke up, her voice muffled against her girlfriend's arm. "Jane, can you lie to me and tell me that I'm going on some fabulous vacation with my mother tomorrow morning?"

The detective chuckled and began to run her fingers through the blonde's smooth locks. "Sure, Maur. You two are heading out for a week to the Bahamas. Fancy umbrellas and all of those snobby finger foods you can't get enough of."

Her girlfriend cracked a smile and lifted her head to look at the older woman. "Those are called h'oderves, Jane."

"Hey, I'm just trying to help, Maur," Jane began, meeting her lips with her girlfriend's tentatively.

"I know," Maura told her, gently caressing her face, "I want you to know how much this means to me. How much it _truly_ means to me."

"I don't mind, babe, really. Do you know how many times you've helped to put my mind at ease?" The detective told her, her body tensing as she added, "especially with everything that went on with Hoyt…"

Her girlfriend laced their fingers together, her eyes never leaving hers. "Jane, you know that he can't get to you anymore. He's dead. _Really_ dead this time."

"I know. Still can't help freaking out about it, ya know?" In turn, the dark-haired detective tucked her head into the crook of the doctor's neck. "He was the only thing that ever scared the shit outta me as an adult."

"And within reason," Maura whispered, kissing the top of her head just as Jane had done with her before. "But now there's no way that he can get to you."

"Other than my dreams," Jane murmured.

"I won't let him bother you in those, either," the honey blonde began, her lips at the detective's ear. "As long as we're wrapped in each other's arms, no harm can come to us."

The brunette picked her head up and raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Maur, how are your hives?"

Maura gasped a little bit and went to reach for her neck. "What? You don't believe that I can protect you?"

Again, Jane just looked at her. "I thought we agreed a long time ago that I was the man in the relationship."

The honey blonde narrowed her eyes. "Okay, so this has turned into a battle of the sexes, has it? I shall have you know that a woman is more than capable of protecting her male partner, no matter the stature or muscle mass difference."

With a sigh, the detective chose to give up. She dropped her head in between her girlfriend's breasts and closed her eyes. "Fine, I'll let you win this round. But it's only 'cause I'm so tired."

Maura began to rub her girlfriend's back comfortingly as she drifted off to sleep. It was nice to have a distraction from her family life. Just being there for Jane alone helped the medical examiner immensely.

The couple was asleep within minutes of each other, one woman embracing the other in their own way. Jane hadn't had a nightmare in months, but that was what worried her. It had been _too_ long. These dreams were always out of left field; maybe, though, it was Maura that was scaring the nightmares away. Maybe she was like Jane's personal dream catcher.

Of course, even dream catchers had their glitches.

o—o—o

_Jane reached up to pull her girlfriend down for another kiss, the detective's hands shooting up her shirt in a slow, tantalizing manner. Maura unbuttoned Jane's top and tried very carefully not to rip it as she helped the brunette out of her shirt. _

_The detective pulled the blonde away from her for a moment and stared into her eyes, very aware that she laying in bed with nothing but a bra on. She just tucked a few strands of hair out of the doctor's face and began kissing her again, ignoring the feeling of dread that was settling in the pit of her gut. _

_Maura's lips left hers and began kissing her way south. Jane writhed at the warm lips against her skin with her hands traveling down to grasp the other woman's backside. This all was far too pleasurable; even if it wasn't real, the dark-haired woman wasn't quite ready to give it up quite yet. _

_The honey blonde's hand rested at the apex of Jane's thighs as she began licking every square inch of her vagina. The detective panted as her girlfriend picked her head back up and crawled over to cradle against her chest. _

"_Having fun?" Jane rasped, throwing her arms around the medical examiner. _

_Maura nodded and gently began to kiss the dark-haired woman's neck, who just began grinning weakly. This woman had some stamina that was for sure. Jane winced as the gentle kisses grew harder. Before she knew it, Maura had her hands wrapped around the detective's neck, suffocating her of the air that she barely had before. _

"_Maur, what are you—" Jane choked out, her eyes growing wider as she saw her girlfriend being replaced by that man that she thought she had killed. Her boogeyman, Charles Hoyt. _

"_Hello, Jane. Did you miss me?" The psychopath asked, pinning her hands to the bed with sharp scalpels, just as he had done years prior. He grinned down at her and took a long whiff of her hair. "Mmm. I smell lavender and fear. Just like old times, huh Janie?"_

Jane shook herself awake with a jolt and a gasp loud enough to wake the woman sleeping next to her. The brunette reached for a lamp on the bedside table and switched it on before her paranoia could get the better of her.

"Jane, what's wrong?" Maura asked sleepily. She held her hand out to her girlfriend, who took it with wary brown eyes. The doctor had woken up after the detective had jolted out of her embrace. Neither one of them knew how early it was.

Jane eyed the honey blonde. "You're really Maura, aren't you?"

The woman in question just laughed, despite how much that question made her worry. "Of course I'm really Maura, Jane. Why wouldn't I be?" She looked down at her girlfriend's hands, which were trembling uncontrollably. "You had another nightmare, didn't you?"

The detective nodded mutely, prompting a sigh from the younger woman. Just when things were looking up…

"Jane," Maura began, taking the brunette's hands in her own, "I'm right here. You're awake and he can't get to you."

Jane's brown eyes began to well up with tears, which irritated her to no end. Tears only showed weakness. She was supposed to be strong, not falling apart like this.

"It's okay, honey, let it all out," the honey blonde whispered, kissing the scars on the backs of her girlfriend's hands. As Jane began to sob, it was all Maura could do not to start crying herself.

Jane had only let two people be this close to her; one was her girlfriend, and the other was Korsak—who was just like a father to her. It was embarrassing, but Jane knew that she couldn't bottle it up forever.

o—o—o

Doctor Hope Martin loved her daughters and would do whatever she could to ensure their safety. When she pushed Maura away, it was only out of fear. She had already screwed up Kayleen's life, the least she could do was turn away from her eldest daughter. She didn't deserve to be subjected to her bad parenting skills. Hell, her eighteen-year-old was sick with a kidney infection and in the need of a transplant, all because she wasn't paying enough attention to her.

But as Hope began thinking more into it, she realized that she went about it the wrong way. She had to prove to her girls that she was going to be the best parent that she could. No matter the case, everyone tended to push the unfamiliar away. The elder doctor swore to herself that she would mend her relationship with both of her daughters.

No one had mentioned the kidney transplant in quite a while. Hope had been praying that her younger daughter was getting better. She was taking her antibiotics like she was supposed to, and she had been starting to feel better as time went on. Of course, the good times were up when Kayleen started showing signs of a ruptured kidney. If it was not treated quick enough, she would go into septic shock and die.

Hope drove her daughter to the hospital as soon as she could. And, despite how guilty she felt about it, she had to call Maura and tell her the news.

The younger blonde received the phone call just after she and Jane saw Constance and Hank off on their flight. Maura's mother had wished her and the detective well with their relationship, despite the fact that she didn't really think that they needed the luck. Those two were already passionately in love, even if neither one of them knew it quite yet.

Maura sighed as she heard her phone ring from inside her designer bag. Jane growled inwardly as she looked down at her bag. The brunette's arm was thrown over her girlfriend's shoulder as they headed back to the car.

"Should I throw your phone into the fountain over there?" Jane murmured down at the blonde, getting a laugh in response. "What? I'm serious. Is it Korsak? Damn, I told him that we'd be at work as soon as we could!"

The honey blonde dug a hand into her bag to reach for her phone. As she glanced down at it, she blanched a bit, something that didn't go unnoticed.

"Maur, babe, what is it?" the detective asked her girlfriend.

"It's Hope. I… I wonder what she wants," Maura sighed and shrugged out of the brunette's arms to go over to the nearest bench.

Jane just sat down next to her girlfriend and watched her closely as she answered her mom's phone call. She read body language really well; something about Maura told her that this wasn't good news.

"I see. Yes, I'll be right there," the honey blonde spoke into the phone before hanging up. Jane looked at her expectantly, which prompted her to explain as quickly as she could. "Kayleen has been hospitalized for a ruptured kidney, Jane. She only has a little more time before that transplant is the only thing that can save her life."

The brunette detective gawked back at her girlfriend. "So you're going to go into surgery _today_?"

Maura just nodded sullenly. "It would appear that way, yes."

Jane Rizzoli had never been angrier than she was at that moment. "No, 'hi, honey, how was the day?' Just 'hey, get to the hospital so the doctors can take your kidney out!'" The detective shook her head and frowned out at the space in front of her. "Maur, no, you possibly can't be going."

"What choice do I have, Jane? She has at least been trying to make everything up to me. And you want me to repay her by saying no?" Doctor Isles bored her green eyes into the detective's brown ones, not wanting to fight about this. Not here, not now.

Jane sensed Maura's distress and began to kiss her as gently as she could muster. She could care less about the people that were staring at them, dammit, she needed to talk some sense into this woman.

As their lips parted, the detective whispered against the doctor's, "I get that you want to do this for your mom, but please think about it. You're going through a life altering surgery, and all for a sister who couldn't care a thing in the world about you."

Maura sighed and rose to her feet. "Jane, you know that you would do the same thing for Tommy or Frankie. Blood is thicker than water, if I remember your phrase correctly."

Jane rubbed the back of her head as her own words were used against her. "Fine, Maur, I'll take you to the hospital," she added in a murmur, "but I don't gotta like it…"

The couple rode to the hospital in silence. Their future was unclear, despite everything that had happened in these last few days.

**Gee, I just love dropping these cliffhangers off on ya'll don't I? Well hit me up if you want more!**


	7. The First Cut Is The Deepest

**Hey, it's an update! Lookie, there. **

**Many thanks to: fergz1, Goven, IronAmerica, cstarj, and Guest for reviewing last chapter! **

**I own nothing, sit back and enjoy the chapter. **

_**When The Rain Falls- Chapter Seven: The First Cut Is The Deepest **_

Jane Rizzoli rubbed her tired eyes, hoping to cut some of the fogginess out of her vision. She opened up her brown eyes, groaning inwardly as she noticed that nothing had changed. The detective hadn't gotten sleep much since Maura had been admitted into the ER for the emergency transplant. Hell, the last minute of sleep she had gotten was before Constance and her husband left. She couldn't stop worrying about her girlfriend; okay, so Jane didn't want her getting the damn surgery done in the first place? The point was that Maura had gone through with it, and it had been hours since she had gone under. There was no need to fight about it; her girlfriend had far too much going on.

The brunette groaned and resisted the urge to beat her head against her office desk. Why was she at work? Well, apparently murderers don't check into how inconvenient it is when they decide to kill someone… Frost and Korsak tried to cover for Rizzoli, but she would just be sitting around in the waiting room, flipping through outdated magazines for hours on end, anyway. At least, with this, she could focus her thoughts on something else entirely.

Jane's phone buzzed nearby, startling her out of her thoughts. It was a message from Korsak. They had been on this new case for almost twelve hours straight. Between that and what was going on with Maura and her family, it was almost too much to bear. The elder detective was back at the crime scene, and she needed to get back there.

The younger detective groaned and sat up, her spine popping loudly. She was getting too old for this crap…

o—o—o

Jane arrived back at the crime scene not even twenty minutes later. The body of thirty-one-year-old Elizabeth Brennan had been found in the middle of the road way back on the secondary roads of Boston. The only houses were further back from the road, hidden by the woodlands. It was a very good thing that someone was actually _doing_ the speed limit down this road, otherwise Elizabeth's body would have been run over, making it almost impossible to identify.

The man that had found her was currently under questioning back at the BPD. It was really unlikely that he was the killer; hell, that would be far too easy. However, being a cop, Jane knew that the most unlikely was the top suspect, no matter what.

Rizzoli came up to Korsak, who was standing in the middle of the area that had been taped off for the crime scene. The yellow caution tape stretched from the road and wrapped all the way around the first few trees on either side of the road.

"Korsak," Jane began, gaining his attention, "you didn't just call me over to tell me that you rescued another cat, did you?"

"What?" the sergeant did a double take from where he had been looking before, "no, Jane. No animals this time."

Rizzoli rolled her eyes and settled her hands on her hips. "Okay, so what's up?" She looked around the scene. The bulk of Homicide had just left from the looks of it, and now it was just her and Korsak there.

"We did some checking in and, apparently, Miss Brennan lived in one of these houses nearby. She could have been walking, driving, hell, Jane, she could've even been at home for all we know," the elder detective began, looking back at his former partner.

"Okay, so we'll check the houses and then take it from there," Jane told Korsak, practically jumping out of her skin as her phone began ringing again. She _really_ needed some sleep, or maybe just to be hooked to an IV of coffee.

Vince watched her answer her phone. By the look on her face as she looked down at the caller ID, he could tell that it had something to do with Maura.

"…She is?" Jane spoke into the phone, all color draining from her usually tan face. She listened intently to the other side, nodding every now and then. "Yeah. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Korsak just looked at his former partner as she hung up. "How's Doctor Isles?"

"She's good," the younger detective began, a tiny grin stretching across her face. "She's awake, and she's looking for me."

"Then what are you waiting for, Rizzoli? Go be with her," Vince encouraged, "Frost and I got you covered."

Jane took in a deep breath. "Thanks, Korsak, I kinda owe you for all of this," she headed off as her father figure just chuckled at her.

It had been amazing that she got to the hospital in one piece. She was racing down the highway, ignoring the rules of the road. Of course, all she could think about was her girlfriend. Jane had nothing nice to say to Hope Martin; it was shitty of her to ask this of her elder daughter at such short notice. Maura might have thought it was okay, but the detective sure as _hell_ didn't.

Rizzoli got to the hospital in record speed and hurried up to the reception desk. They recognized her from when Constance was in the hospital a year back. Jane and Angela had been the only ones to come see Maura when she needed it most.

"Doctor Isles is in the recovery ward," a doctor in his traditional blue scrubs began, sparing her a knowing smile. "Take the elevator up to the next floor. Recovery ward is down the corridor on the left."

Jane murmured a thank you and headed on to the elevator. The hospital was abuzz with chatter, intercom announcements, and nurses yelling medical gibberish that just gave the detective a headache when her girlfriend even mentioned them.

She wasn't even sure what she was going to do when she saw Maura. Would she even be awake? They obviously had to have her on some morphine to numb the pain from the surgery. Even if she was, would Hope be visiting both of her daughters, and not just Kayleen? Rizzoli seriously doubted that.

The detective hit the call button on the elevator and shoved her hands in her blazer pockets. What _was_ she going to do when she saw her girlfriend? The last time Jane saw Maura before she went under, the detective was still annoyed with her for going along with the surgery in the first place. But, then Jane really started thinking. What if Maura hadn't made it through that surgery? The last thing the doctor would remember was her girlfriend being pissed off at her. Jane had kissed her and had told her that she would be there for her through it all, but she never told her how she really felt. Rizzoli _loved_ her girlfriend, her partner in crime, her well… her everything. It only took her until now to realize that, and to come to terms with that.

Jane felt her breath being robbed from her as she came into Maura's hospital room. As suspected, Hope was nowhere to be seen. Maybe, just maybe, she had left to check on Kayleen. Of course, the dark-haired woman could just be giving her could-be mother-in-law too much credit.

The honey blonde doctor sat up in her bed, talking to the nurse that was checking her vitals. "No, no, I feel fine, other than the wooziness."

Rizzoli grinned as hers and Maura's eyes met. "Hi, Maur," she began, waiting for the nurse to move the hell out of the way so she could get to her girl.

"Jane, you came back," Doctor Isles breathed out weakly, a smile playing at her own lips.

The nurse finished jotting down the notes on her clipboard and nodded to the detective as she headed out of the hospital room.

"Of course I did, Maur. Did you expect me to leave and never come back to see you?" Jane asked, kissing her forehead as she came up to her bedside. The blonde held onto her for dear life, smiling sadly into her chest. "Babe, what's up?"

"I was worried that you wouldn't forgive me for this. Jane," Maura picked her head up and stared at her girlfriend. Her green eyes were swimming with tears, "you know how important family is to me, now that I actually _have _one."

The detective gave the blonde her own sad smile and leant forward to peck at her lips. "Maur, it's not about what I thought. It's your body. I just… I get defensive over you, I guess."

"I know. And that means so much to me," Doctor Isles nodded, tears finally trailing down her pale cheeks. "This was important for me to do, though."

"Why, Maur? You didn't do it because Hope was finally paying attention to you, did you?" Jane asked, pulling up a chair and gently taking her hands into her own.

"Yes and no," Maura finally admitted, looking down at hers and the brunette's entwined fingers. "Hope had been trying to make it up to the both of us, and I felt that I would be letting her down if I said no. On the other hand, it was also the doctor in me that had a great deal with making my decision."

"You didn't owe Hope or Kayleen anything, okay? To me, it just feels like she was just spending time with you 'cause she knew that that time was coming. The woman isn't stupid," Jane told her, taking one of her hands back to tilt her girlfriend's chin up to look into her eyes. "I'm not trying to pick a fight, I'm just trying to understand."

"I'm not so sure myself, Jane. I just know that I still want to try to make this work between Hope and myself," Maura sighed and rested her head back against her pillow.

"Then I'll be here to support you, Maur," the detective began, rubbing the back of her hand with a gentle thumb. "God, I was so scared that I would never get the chance to tell you how I feel about you."

Doctor Isles sent her a gentle smile, her eyes shimmering back at her with more unshed tears. "I thought that much was loud and clear."

"No, not all of it," Jane whispered, squeezing her hand. "There's something that's been left unsaid."

"And what's that, Jane?" Maura asked, worry evident in her voice.

"I love you, Maura. I mean _really_ love you," the detective began, her heart thumping erratically in her chest. She had never been so nervous to say those three little words before.

o—o—o

"You—you love me? Jane, we've only been dating for a short time," the honey blonde told her girlfriend. She knew that she loved Jane just the same, but it was very early on in their relationship.

"Yeah, but I've known you for coming up on four years. And I've loved you since," Rizzoli added, giving her an easy smile. It was beginning to get easier to say, thankfully. She meant it, that much was for sure.

A warm smile graced Maura's features. "I love you too, Jane," she finally admitting, ducking her head to kiss the back of her girlfriend's hand. It was as much energy as she had left. That morphine numbed the pain, but it also left her in a haze.

The couple was knocked back down to earth as they heard a knock on the door. Jane looked over to see Hope standing in the doorway, her arms now crossed gently over her chest.

"May I come in?" Doctor Martin asked, ignoring the glare that she was getting from her could-be daughter-in-law.

"Of course, Hope," Maura began, glancing over at her mother with a weak smile. "How's Kayleen?"

"She's well," Hope replied curtly, heading over to the couple. "The transplant was a success. You saved her life, Maura. I… I am so grateful."

Jane scoffed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm sure you are, _Hope_. Of course, this is the time that you tell Maura that you never wanna see her again, isn't it?"

The elder doctor tried to recover from that low blow as quickly and as calmly as she could. "Detective Rizzoli, I would never do that to either one of my daughters. In fact, I told Kayleen that she was going to have to get used to having her older sister around, because she would be seeing a lot more of her from now on."

"And is that because Maura gave your precious Kayleen one of her kidneys?" the detective sneered, ignoring the weak glare she was getting from her girlfriend.

"Jane, I understand that you're upset with me," Hope looked down at the floor, struggling for the right words, "you and Maura have every reason to be. But I want to make this all up to Maura and to Kayleen."

"Family is the most important thing to me," Jane began, holding up hers and Maura's entwined fingers for emphasis, "she is a part of that family. You fuck with her; you fuck with me. Got it?"

The younger doctor flushed at the scene her girlfriend was causing. Leave that to Jane, though. She did the same with Constance, after all. It only made Maura love Jane more for sticking up for her like she always seemed to do.

Rizzoli sighed as she remembered that she was in a hospital with her still recovering girlfriend. She looked down at Maura and spared her a smile. "Maur, I'm sorry about this. Do you need anything?"

"Some more rest would be nice," Maura replied sheepishly, looking between her mother and her girlfriend. All of this family drama made her head spin. She _needed_ some sleep.

Hope took that as a hint and nodded. "I'll talk with you when you're feeling up to it, Maura. Goodbye, detective." She ducked out of the hospital room, leaving the younger blonde and the detective alone once again.

Jane resisted the urge to go after Hope and give her a real piece of her mind, but she just kissed Maura once and sat back in her chair. "I'll be right here when you wake up, babe."

The honey blonde smiled and hunkered down the best that she could. "Thank you for what you did, Jane."

"No one messes with my girl, don't you know that by now?" the brunette chuckled and watched Maura closely as her breathing evened out.

**Once again, I was going to include one more scene, but decided to cut it out. Reviews are loved!**


	8. Make You Feel My Love

**I haven't abandoned you guys, I promise! One of my updates took forever to be written, and then I got bit with Valentine's bunnies and etc, etc. Will ya'll forgive me? **

**Many thanks to: LOCISVU, IronAmerica, my two guests, and fergz1 for reviewing last chapter. **

**I own nothing. Here's where I'm going to start time jumping, but not before connecting more with "The Rizzoli Family Christmas". **

_**When The Rain Falls- Chapter Eight: Make You Feel My Love**_

Christmas had finally rolled around once again. It had been a long year and, frankly, Jane and Maura couldn't wait for 2012 to be over. They had reached a milestone this year by finally starting their relationship, and many families had finally found closure for their loved ones that would never get to see another year. Even the medical examiner and her biological mother were closer than they ever were before. But every new-year was a new chance to start off with a clean slate. They were onto newer and better things come 2013, and it all started with Jane realizing that she wasn't getting any younger.

The detective was nearly thirty-seven, and she never even once thought about who she was going to marry, or even have kids with. Of course, with Angela constantly breathing down her neck about grandchildren, she stubbornly refused to humor her mother about any of that. On Christmas Eve of 2012, Jane was finally seeing clearly. She was in love with someone she could actually see herself marrying. Maura was the only one she ever saw herself standing next to at the altar. Angela had accepted the fact that her daughter was in a relationship with another woman, and now it was time for the whole world to. Jane realized that she was probably going too fast, but by Christmas Eve of next year, Maura would have an engagement ring on her finger. Forget Casey, Agent Dean, _Grant_, what Rizzoli had going for her was so much better than anything that any of them had ever done for her.

Through this next year, Jane and Maura would continue to explore their new relationship. It became easier to be open at work, as they knew that their coworkers all expected this out of them. Cases would pin Rizzoli and Isles against each other as they always did, but Jane came back to Maura at the very end of the day and would tell her that she didn't want to fight anymore. Before the detective and medical examiner began their relationship, it wasn't as easy for Rizzoli to admit defeat. But, now that she realized what she and the doctor had together, absolutely _nothing_ could break them apart for long.

o—o—o

_December 2013_

Maura Isles bounced two-year-old Tommy "Ethan" Rizzoli Jr. on her lap, trying her best to keep the baby occupied while his mother was busy making a warm sippy cup for him. The medical examiner had taken a liking to the littlest Rizzoli, and it would appear that the feeling was mutual. The first person he went to hug after Nana Rizzoli would always be his Aunt Maura. Despite everything, his parents were actually trying to work things out. They were living together and everything; Jane and Frankie both were proud of their younger brother for stepping up to the plate like that.

It was Christmas Eve, and the whole family was gathered at Maura and Jane's home—the two of them had finally gotten the courage to talk about moving in together, and it ended with them buying a house not too far from Maura's previous residence. Angela took over the doctor's old home when the detective and her girlfriend moved to their new place. It was awful lonely being in that big house by herself, but it did give her grandchildren somewhere to sleep when she spoiled them on the weekends.

Jane came from down the hallway and plopped down next to her girlfriend on the couch. The detective received a warm smile and a peck on the lips from Maura. Even after a year later, Rizzoli was still sure that marrying her girlfriend would be the best decision of her life. They made a great team; they always had, even before they became a couple. Jane wasn't much for mushiness or any of the like, but she did feel like what she and Maura had was real.

Baby TJ looked up at his Aunt Jane and started giggling, brown eyes twinkling with mischief. He was still leaning against his Aunt Maura, his most favorite aunt by far.

The detective quirked an eyebrow and glanced around the living room for her youngest brother. "Tommy, why are you teaching this baby to be just like you?"

Lydia padded over to the other side of the blonde medical examiner, the warm sippy cup in hand. Maura paused for a moment with just one thing on her mind.

"Do you mind if I feed him?" She asked, looking up at the baby's mother with a hopeful smile. "I think it's fascinating the way a baby bonds with whomever is feeding him or her. It's the hormones, especially for the woman."

The younger blonde smiled down at her baby, who was just babbling on while still staring at his favorite aunt. Lydia felt a twinge of jealousy surge through her as she handed the sippy cup over to the medical examiner. Maura handed the toddler his cup, but he pouted and shook his head.

"Nuh!" TJ squealed, burrowing into Maura's blonde locks. "No" was his favorite word. Tommy thought it would be funny for him to tell his mother no, but now that the toddler wouldn't stop saying the word…

"But don't you want to grow up to be big and strong like your mommy or your daddy?" Maura asked the two-year-old, offering him the cup again. Jane wrapped an arm around her girlfriend and just watched as she tried to coax TJ to drink his milk. The detective still hadn't thought much about kids, but seeing her girlfriend with her nephew was starting to convince her little by little. At least they could practice with Tommy's kid and not have to worry much about responsibility.

Later on that night, the family had a huge spread of food for Christmas Eve dinner. Maura brought her most expensive wines out for the occasion, and Jane got to brag, yet again, about how good a cook her girlfriend was. After dessert was served, the doctor left her chair vacant for all of five minutes to go to the bathroom. She had perfect timing, however, because when she returned, there was a little navy blue box waiting for her next to her plate.

The honey blonde's lips parted a fraction as she took her seat in between the detective and Angela. "This wasn't here five minutes ago, was it?" she asked, a curious smile in place.

"I dunno, Maur. Maybe your vision is going bad with your old age," Jane teased. She then held her hand out for her girlfriend, all playfulness aside. "Why don't you open it?"

Maura placed her hand in the detective's proffered one for a moment, just staring back at her. "I must say, detective, you never cease to surprise me."

At this point, everyone at the table was watching Jane and Maura. The only one that knew that Jane had planned to propose tonight was Angela, and she wasn't even supposed to know. Like always, Mama Rizzoli just had that mother's intuition down to a T.

The medical examiner took her hand back and grabbed the box. As she flipped the lid up, she let out an audible gasp. A simple diamond ring glistened back at her. Maura picked it up and placed it in the palm of her hand. On the inside band, the words "Will You Marry Me?" were engraved.

She, of course, couldn't keep herself together for all of the five seconds that she needed to say yes. All she could do was nod her head and snuggle into her fiancée's arms. Maura had never loved something so simple in her life. She loved the extravagant, expensive, things. But this, this single diamond was as beautiful to her as the woman that she sat cuddled up with.

From there, it was history. Christmas Eve became much more than a holiday. Jane tried to do something every year, but none of it could ever measure up to the surprise of being proposed to, until the detective looked into adopting Kimberly, that was.

o—o—o

_July 2014_

Agent Dean was once a potential love interest for Jane. While he wasn't anywhere near what Casey meant to her, he still was there for her, especially with everything that dealt with Hoyt. Of course, then the fight with Maura happened, and the detective didn't want anything to do with _Gabriel_ anymore. Her relationship with the medical examiner meant far too much to her than some guy ever would. Especially now that they were engaged to be married.

On the day of Jane and Maura's wedding, Dean came back from Washington. More importantly, he came back from Washington looking for the detective in question. The FBI agent strode into the BPD, only to be turned around when he found out the news. Dean knew that Jane was more of the burly variety of women, but he never suspected her of swinging for the other team. (In all honesty, though, he should have known better. Just by the way the detective pushed him away when Paddy Doyle was shot should have told him that her best friend was so much more than what she led on originally.)

But none of that mattered anymore. Rizzoli and her fiancée were off to their ceremony—just the two of them; they would come back to Boston for the wedding, but they wanted to get the legal part out of the way first. When Jane learned about her not-so-secret admirer, she just scoffed and took her wife by the hand. Maura was the only companion she would ever need in this world. Even though it took both of them many heartbreaks to realize this, neither woman would _ever_ make the mistake of loving someone else the same again.

Jane carried her wife bridal-style through the threshold to their home. It did the both of them good to get away from the nonsensical drama that they led in their everyday lives. While things were certainly better with the doctor's family, there was still the pressure of having two mothers that wanted the same amount of attention. Eventually, things would finally settle down, or at least the newlywed medical examiner hoped it would.

The two of them had a beach ceremony. Jane was breathless as she and Maura stared back at each other while they said their brief "I dos". Their more heartfelt vows wouldn't even be spoken at the wedding. The detective was a far too private woman than to share something as personal as that with her friends and family, or even with the magistrate that married them. She would much rather whisper them in her wife's ear while they were all alone.

After they were officially pronounced a married couple, the brunette detective and the honey blonde stayed at a beach home not too far from where they had the ceremony at. Maura looked way too good in sundresses and bikinis to have it anywhere else, Jane thought to herself. Being back at home was refreshing, despite all of this.

Jane crashed down on the couch, her wife going down with her. "Damn, that was a long ass plane ride."

"Are you—" Maura played with the right words on her tongue, "jet lagging, Jane?"

The detective grinned and kissed the doctor's temple. "Yeah, Maur, jetlagged." She thought it was the cutest thing when Maura tried to keep up with the slang that was going around today. It just didn't sound right coming out of prim and proper Doctor Maura Isles. Doctor _Rizzoli _-Isles now, Jane corrected herself inwardly. That was going to take some getting used to. Not that she was complaining, though.

"Well," Maura began, giving her wife a simple smile, patting Jane's hand that rested on her lap. "I could always let you go to bed early, since you're so jetlagged."

"And miss you being all adorable? Never," Jane pulled the younger woman closer and nuzzled against her collarbone. "Now that you're my wife, I can think you're adorable all I want. And no one is going to stare at me like a crazy woman if I stare at you for a second too long."

The medical examiner smiled lovingly down at the detective and ducked her head for a quick kiss. "That being said, Jane, you can always go to sleep and see me being adorable in the morning. I'm not going anywhere."

"Damn right," Rizzoli began, her voice muffled against her wife's neck. "Maybe a nap wouldn't hurt, though…" She buried her face deeper into Maura's skin and inhaled her sweet scent. No matter if she just came out of the morgue five minutes ago, she always smelt so good. It was intoxicating almost, just like everything else about Doctor Isles. Their home was quiet, peaceful. The sun had just started to set over the horizon, an explosion of orange and pink hues spreading across the sky in its wake. Maura just stared out the window as she raked her skinny fingers through the detective's dark curls. Jane's breathing soon started to even out. Just to have her wife close was enough to help her drift off, but to also feel her stroking her hair sealed the deal then and there. It was comforting and safe, something that the older woman rarely had in her life before she met Maura.

The honey blonde's head dipped down to rest against Jane's as she too began to drift off. Being jetlagged was okay, as far as the doctor was concerned. Her wife got to be pretty cuddly when she was sleepy, not that she'd admit that to anyone else.

It was about forty-five minutes later before either woman remembered anything else. They would have been perfectly content just snoozing on the couch, despite the fact that someone was banging at their door incessantly.

The detective stirred awake first. She groaned at the relentless knocking and sat up, sending the door a very dark glare. Only one person knew when their plane landed, as she was the one that drove them back to their home. Angela Rizzoli just couldn't keep a secret for very long, obviously.

"Janie, c'mon, open the door!" Frankie called from the other side of the door. _Frankie_? Oh, somebody was gonna die.

"Yeah, we just wanna congratulate the newlyweds," Tommy supplied alongside his elder brother. "We brought the good beers, even!"

Jane could practically hear her mother rolling her eyes as she said, "boys, just shut up. Jane, you know that we hated not being there for you on your wedding day. We did come to visit for a while, now let us in!"

The dark haired detective just sighed and got up from the couch, waking up her wife in the first place. Maura looked up expectantly, a tired smile in place. "My mother decided to throw us a party anyways," Jane added begrudgingly. "Go figure, huh?"

Her wife just nodded and tried to shake herself awake. "I'll go put on a pot of coffee," the doctor mumbled as she got up herself. She went back to the kitchen, whereas Jane went to greet her family at the door.

Would she _ever_ get alone time with her wife?

**Voila! Hope ya'll enjoyed! Next chapter is going to be set up like normal, since we've already done our connection. Reviews are loved, as always! **


	9. So Happy I Could Die

**Hey, where did everyone go? Only two reviews last chapter, versus the usual five? Ya'll gotta communicate with me; I can't make the story any better if I don't know what's wrong. So, if the lack of feedback is because it's getting boring, lemme know! (But, if it's just real life, trust me, I'll understand.) **

**Thanks: IronAmerica and LOCISVU for their reviews last chapter! **

**I do not own Rizzoli & Isles. Beware of my infamous time jump. **

_**When The Rain Falls- Chapter Nine: So Happy I Could Die**_

Jane Rizzoli thought that she finally had everything that she would want in life. She had a gorgeous wife, and some pretty good friends, too. Hell, she couldn't even complain about her job; the detective, at least, got to see her wife on a regular basis, and she loved being a cop. While Maura always worried her pretty little head over whether her wife would be safely returned to her at the end of the day, Jane wouldn't trade it in for anything in the world.

Angela, the detective's very overbearing mother, still reminded her that she was missing something. Jane would roll her eyes; she knew exactly what she was talking about, but she tried to play dumb. She would be ready for kids at some point, but not now. Maura, on the other hand, she wanted a kid. They had gotten into an argument recently about it. Jane was nowhere near ready to be a parent, whereas her wife was ecstatic about parenting. Eventually, they would see eye to eye. Jane had a hard enough time protecting Maura from finding out about what people were saying about their relationship. The last thing they needed to do right now was to bring a child into this to subject to the same horror.

The detective thought that she had talked the medical examiner into giving her some more time to process things, and she _had_. That was, until the BPD's newest homicide case threw both women for a loop.

On August 13th 2016, a little over three years since Jane and Maura said I do, Lucy Hale was found dead by her mother and husband. Everyone around town figured that Lucy had been murdered by her husband. However, it was up to Maura to figure that out, first and foremost. When the medical examiner came to the crime scene with her wife, she was shocked to see that Lucy had been pregnant at the time of her death. Why on earth would Lucy's family neglect to mention something as crucial as this? Maura approached the body, and all she could think about was the day that she and Jane went for their clay baths. The murder of the surrogate mother was a tragedy. Luckily, in that case, the baby had survived and was happy with his adoptive parents. Neither mother nor child was as lucky this time around.

Maura took cases like these especially hard. She never knew why; perhaps it was maternal instincts, or perhaps it had to do with her own childhood. All she had to do was glance up at her wife once. That was all it took for Jane to understand what she was thinking of. Jane remembered how attached Maura was to the lone child. If she could have, the doctor probably would have adopted him herself.

Somehow, the detective knew that this was going to make her wife that much more adamant about becoming an adoptive mother. How could Jane possibly turn Maura down time and time again?

o—o—o

Jane and Maura fought like any other married couple. Sometimes, it could be resolved by one of them saying sorry. Other times, however, it took a lot more than a hug and a kiss to make it all better. For instance, when the couple fought over having children, it was a rather touchy subject for both participants. Maura knew the loneliness of being adopted, especially when both of her adopted parents were too busy with work to raise her themselves. She always had nannies and cooks; the doctor wanted oh so desperately to be the perfect mother that she never had around when she was growing up. Her wife, though, she was harboring a fear.

The detective never had a problem embracing her relationship with Maura around others. Okay, well, that was a lie. At first, Jane was wary about coming out. She had gone to Catholic schools for God's sake! She would have hated herself immensely if her mother was affected because of this. Jane loved Maura; she wasn't ashamed of being in love with her. She just didn't want others to bash them, or their loved ones for this choice. Bringing a kid into the equation was just cruel, as far as the detective was concerned. Kids were mean back when Rizzoli was growing up, and they most certainly wouldn't have gotten any nicer. Jane wanted a kid and she would protect it with everything that she had, but she was still _afraid_. Maura had no idea about this. Frankly, it probably would have been better if she did. Rizzoli just flat out refused to admit to anyone that she was afraid. Instead, Maura thought the worst of the scenario. Maybe there was something wrong with _her_? Maybe Jane wanted a divorce.

After their latest case came to a close, the blonde doctor was noticeably distracted. Her wife could guess why, and figured that they needed to talk about it. After all, Jane knew from experience that the more she held this in, the worse it would become.

Maura was leaning against the countertop in their kitchen when the detective came in to talk to her. The family had closure and everything seemed like it was going to be okay, but something didn't quite sit right with the honey blonde.

"Maur," Jane began, regarding her wife carefully. She approached her and gently took her by the elbow, guiding her into her arms. "Babe, what's wrong? You've been acting weird all afternoon."

Maura tucked her head underneath the detective's chin and let out a heavy sigh. "You know how these particular cases always seem to get me down."

"I know," Jane answered, her voice husky. She began to stroke the honey blonde's hair as soothingly as she could. "But the kid's father was a piece of shit. He didn't even mention that his wife was pregnant. If the baby did survive, it would have had a crappy childhood, anyhow."

The doctor nodded and sniffled quietly. "Jane, can't you reconsider adopting?" She peeked up at her wife, giving her a sad smile. "I think we can give a child a nice, stable home with plenty of love to go around. Imagine how spoiled it would be when Angela came over for a visit."

The dark-haired woman just chuckled and kissed the top of her wife's head. "My mother would take the kid home for the weekend and it would come back spoiled rotten." She then looked down at her, but didn't say anything else.

Maura sighed again and broke from the embrace. "You're avoiding it again. I've—I've tried being logical about this, but I cannot come up a plausible enough scenario. Why do you not want to talk about adopting, or—or even invetro! We have been married for three years, Jane. We have a home, vehicles, steady employment. What more do we need?"

Jane leaned against the counter next to her wife and sighed just the same. "Maur, I'm just not ready, okay? You know I love kids just as much as you do, but I just need more time."

"We do not _have_ more time, Jane. You are approaching forty, and I am not that far behind," the blonde doctor stared back at the detective intently. "I do not know about you, Jane, but I want our child to grow up with both of us around. If we wait much longer—"

Rizzoli grabbed her wife once more and started kissing her to shut her up. "Maur, just shut up and hear me out, okay?" When the doctor just nodded, the detective continued on, "we don't have to worry about just our growing ages. What happens when it's time to send the kid to school? You know just as well as I do that it'll get picked on for having two mothers. And I—I just can't subject that on any child."

Maura blinked and tried to process that thought as quickly as she could. "Are you ashamed of being married to a woman, Jane? Because you cannot hide away from what you are. You taught me that much."

Jane took Maura's hands in her own and gazed down into her green eyes. "I have never been ashamed of what I am. Anyone who doesn't understand what we have can kiss my ass."

"Then what's stopping you from wanting to have a child of our own?" Maura asked, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

"I'm just afraid, Maur. I can't protect the kid while it's at school, can I? I can protect you, and I can protect our kid when we're around, but it's not like I can beat up the bully myself," Jane finally confessed, glaring down at the floor.

"I was bullied in school for my study habits. You were bullied in school for being obese. I think kids will always bully, no matter whom the subject is," the honey blonde told her wife shakily, lifting Jane's chin up. "We just have to do what we can."

The detective considered this for a moment. "We'd make some pretty kickass parents wouldn't we?"

Maura's whole face lit up as she hugged her wife after that. From there, Jane automatically knew what she wanted to do for her wife this Christmas.

o—o—o

When the Rizzoli-Isles family met Loraine Headley—Kimberly's biological mother, for the first time, Jane was a little unsure about being a mother. She and her wife had read parenting book after parenting book. It wasn't that she was just worried about their baby being made fun of; now it was the matter of if Jane was responsible enough. Not that she'd tell her wife this much. Maura was ecstatic, and the brunette just couldn't ruin that for her. She knew exactly what was going on with the fetus growing inside of Loraine. The doctor even tried to explain it to the detective, but she just chose to tune it out. To this day, Maura's googlespeak still got out of hand sometimes…

Jane sat with her wife on the couch across from Loraine. The young mother rocked slowly in an armchair, her hand on her barely visible bump. She was here to discuss things over with the couple that her baby was going to be with. She had to be sure herself that these women were fit to take care of this precious life.

"You have a lovely home," Loraine began, sending Maura a warm smile. "Are you planning on staying in Boston?"

"Of course we are. Our family is in Boston; we wouldn't want to take the baby away from that. Family is very important to us," the doctor explained, squeezing her wife's hand that was clasped over Maura's leg. "Are there any hereditary diseases or illnesses that run in your family, or in the father's family?"

"None that I know of," the young mother replied with a shrug. "And I've been keeping up with my appointments and taking my pre-natal vitamins. So, I think the baby is relatively healthy."

Maura smiled broadly. "I hope I'm not asking too much, but would it be a problem if we went to some of your appointments? I would love to see some of the ultrasounds in person."

Jane didn't want to wear out their welcome and was about to open her mouth to protest, but Loraine piped up first, "I don't mind at all! My mother has been going with me; it would sure be nice to get some more support."

Rizzoli just smiled back at the young mother. It must have been hard for her, finding out that she was pregnant at such a young age. At least they could be there for her. After all, she was giving them _her_ child. Jane took Loraine's hand and gently squeezed it with her free one. "We're here for you. Whenever you need us, okay?"

**And that's the end of the chapter. Reviews would be loved! **


	10. Epilogue

**Hey guys! I'm sad to report that this will be the last chapter of "When The Rain Falls". I appreciate all of the love that this story has gotten so far, and I hope that ya'll will keep a look out for any one-shots that I publish in this 'verse in the future. **

**Thank you: LOCISVU, fergz1, JUJUChick16, witchbladejar1, and Iron America for the reviews last chapter!**

_**When The Rain Falls- Chapter Ten: Epilogue**_

Jane wasn't particularly proud of her actions as of the last few hours. Loraine, hers and Maura's surrogate of sorts, would be giving labor in just a matter of time. She had been hospitalized due to frequent abdominal cramps that kept her from doing the simple task of getting up from a chair. And where was Jane? Currently, she was getting drunk at the Dirty Robber with her brothers.

Earlier that day, Maura and Jane got into an argument, once again, about their unborn child. The detective had been irrational, and she knew it. But, instead of admitting that she was wrong, she went to her local hangout with Tommy and Frankie, hoping that they could distract her from impending motherhood, even for just a little bit.

Jane couldn't wait to hold her little girl in her arms, but that thought just scared her. She would be responsible of a precious child for the rest of herlife. The dark-haired woman knew that it would be several shades different from what she dealt with at work. Most of the time, the poor kids couldn't be helped anymore, or she couldn't pin a crime against their ill-fit parents. This child, though, this _innocent_ baby girl was all hers. What Jane and Maura taught her could give her either the best childhood ever, or the worst. The detective was worried and probably always would be.

"How do you do it, Tommy?" Jane asked, gaining her brother's attention once more. Due to his clueless look, she had to elaborate, "How do you not worry about screwing your kid up?"

The youngest Rizzoli just shrugged. "You don't. But," he added with a grin, "I don't have to worry 'cause I know that I'm an awesome dad. Just ask Lydia."

Jane groaned and began to bang her head against the bar. "Remind me to yell at ma for giving you such optimism…"

Frankie just stared between his older sister and their younger brother. "Well, Janie, I'm not really inclined to say anything, 'cause I don't really have a kid, but…" He gained her attention once more. Jane picked her head up and looked over at Frankie, "snap outta it!" The younger Rizzoli practically spat back at her.

"What? Frankie… I—I just can't _snap out of it_! This is my kid we're talkin' about," the elder detective ran a hand over her tired face, "I only want the best for her, and for Maur."

"What makes you think that you're not going to give them the best?" Frankie went to take a swig of his beer, his eyes still on his sister. "Besides, if Tommy can be a dad, I'm sure you'll make a kickass mom."

Tommy glanced over at his older brother, obviously offended. "What do you mean, if _Tommy_ can be a dad? Huh? I'm doing just fine, thanks."

The middle Rizzoli just sighed. "Man, chill. That was a compliment," he punched his brother in the arm, making Frankie wince back in shock, "now, c'mon, we're supposed to be making Jane feel better here."

"I _would_, but I think my arm's broken," the youngest Rizzoli gawked at Frankie. Jane couldn't help but laugh at the two of them. All in all, those two did tend to lighten the mood.

o—o—o

Maura glanced down at her phone worriedly. She had been trying to get in touch with Jane for the past hour, but she hadn't heard a peep back from her wife. The doctor knew that she had insecurities about being a mother, but that didn't mean that she had to storm off and leave her to deal with a bed-ridden Loraine all by herself. Maura had her insecurities, too! As a matter of fact, she had more reasons to freak out than her wife did. At least Jane had a mother that was there for her, and watched her grow up. Constance rarely ever saw her daughter growing up, something she had come to regret later on in life.

The medical examiner sighed and pocketed her phone once more. She couldn't be outside for much longer. Loraine was in the maternity ward, with only her mother and Maura to help her along. Jane would come around… eventually, she supposed.

As Maura entered the hospital room, she heard Loraine let out a sharp cry. The honey blonde rushed over to the young woman's side and soothed her through the painful contraction.

"It'll be all over soon, sweetie," she whispered, rubbing circular motions into the future mother's back. "Just keep your breathing even."

Loraine wrinkled her nose back at Maura, "Pfft. I go through all of this, and for what? Just so you can take my baby away from me?"

The medical examiner took a deep breath, trying to keep a cool façade. "I know this is difficult for you. You are just a living, breathing hormone at this point." When the younger blonde just gawked at Maura, she hurriedly added, "but I promise that I'll try to make you as comfortable as possible through this."

The bed-ridden patient just gawked at her once again. "Maura, I'd love to say that you're anything but crazy," she clenched her eyes shut as another contraction hit her, "but you're _crazy_!"

Maura just flinched at the younger blonde's words. "Well, I'm only trying to help. I apologize if it just doesn't come out right. I'm—" the medical examiner struggled for the right words herself, "I really am not any good with words."

Suddenly, Loraine's face fell. She really was only trying to help comfort her… "Oh, Maura, I'm sorry. You're right, I'm just being overly hormonal."

The older blonde just nodded and took her surrogate's hand, squeezing it just a tad. "There is no need to worry, I promise," she added, glancing down at her lap. There was still no word from Jane, and Maura was _really_ starting to worry.

Loraine glanced around the room. Her mother was watching her from a far, which made her very uneasy. Everyone else in the room was just hospital staff that was helping with the birth. "Is Jane really not coming?"

Maura took a deep breath, mostly for her own piece of mind, and nodded slightly. "She will be here." _I hope_, the doctor thought to herself.

As another contraction hit, the atmosphere in the room grew much more intense. The other doctors and nurses came around to the bed to check how dilated Loraine was. When they came to realize that she was starting to crown, the medical examiner swore that her heart seeped through the floor.

o—o—o

Jane groaned heavily as the insistent calls from her wife continued. It wasn't like the detective was ignoring her on purpose, (well, according to _her _logic she wasn't), she just didn't know how to approach this situation. Jane had screwed up—royally, in fact, by storming out of the house like she did. Most of the time, Rizzoli was quick to apologize to her wife, and everything would be good again. However, this time, it seemed like everything was different. A certain part of her would always be unsure about parenting.

"Janie," Frankie began, giving her sister a look. "You really don't have to blow Maura off like this. What if something's really wrong? I know you hate admitting that you were being well… Jane," he yelped as his older sister jabbed him in the gut with her elbow. "Seriously… _ow_! I'm only trying to help."

"Does helping me and insulting me in the same sentence really count as helping?" Jane asked incredulously. "On second thought," she sighed again, running a hand through her thick curls, "don't answer that."

"If you're really so worried about being a mom, then why don't ya just talk to ma about it?" Tommy suggested, being completely serious. Both of his older siblings just stared back at him blankly. "Okay, so maybe that was a stupid suggestion…"

"Ya think?" The elder Rizzoli griped, banging her head against the bar counter as hard as she could. "I just, I dunno. I'm scared, I guess. And, whenever I'm scared, I tend to push everyone that I care most about away, just so that I can process everything."

Jane knew that this would never work. She was trying to break out of this habit, and had been doing a fine job of it… Until recently, that was. The detective was going to be a mother soon. While she was delighted, she was also scared out of her mind about leading her kid astray. She wasn't exactly the best role model in the world, either. Jane tried to talk it through with her wife but, in the end, it ended with the darker-haired woman storming out for no damn reason.

Rizzoli eventually admitted defeat and went to check her phone. It hadn't rang recently, but she did have a new text message. When Jane read it to herself, her brown eyes grew the size of saucers.

"What is it?" Frankie asked. He did not like the look on his older sister's face.

"Loraine's in labor, like full blown labor. I—I gotta go," Jane pocketed her phone and shook her head idly. "God, why was I such an ass? Maur's probably freakin' out being there all by herself!"

"You'll find a way to make it up to her," the middle Rizzoli convinced her as she got up from the barstool. Jane quickly embraced both of her brothers before leaving money for her tab on the counter.

"I sure hope so," she murmured, "bye guys."

As the eldest Rizzoli child rushed back to her car, she only had that message on her mind.

_Jane, I know we had that fight earlier, but I need you here now. Loraine is in labor. Please. Get here as soon as you can. You know the place. I love you. _

Jane rammed a fist into her steering wheel at the idiot that had tried to pull out in front of her when she was backing out of her parking space. "C'mon, grandma, gimme a chance to get out of the damn parking space first!"

It was going to be a long drive to the hospital…

o—o—o

Jane couldn't keep that stupid grin off of her face when she first held Kimberly in her arms. She was so soft, and she had the ability to wrap you around her little finger, even without realizing it. Even though, biologically, she wasn't hers or Maura's, she might as well have been. Jane would treat her all the same, teaching her all of the street knowledge she learned over the years. Angela would just spoil the little girl rotten, and Maura would teach her everything she knew about science and medicine.

Maura cooed at the newborn, which was staring up at Jane, but not really seeing everything that was around her. "Look at her, Jane. There is nothing more miraculous and fascinating as the birth of another human being."

"Yeah," the detective whispered, sharing a quick kiss with her wife. "What you said, babe."

The medical examiner smiled and took the baby back into her arms. She cradled her in her arms for a few short moments before turning to Loraine again. "Here. The real mother needs to bond with her child, don't you think?"

Loraine shook her head, eyes brimming with tears. "I can't. If I hold her, chances are that I won't want to give her up." She shrugged her shoulders gently, "hormones, right doc?"

"Oh," Maura breathed, glancing back down at the baby. She was rocking her as gently as she could, without even realizing it. "Yes, that is true. But, I know that I would want the choice to hold my baby if the tables were turned in this situation."

"You're a sweet woman, Doctor Isles. I know that you and your wife will take good care of my baby," the young mother began.

The medical examiner nodded, very close to tears herself. When the nurse came back in with a clipboard in hand, everyone looked towards her.

"Hi, don't mean to interrupt, but we need to know what you're going to name the baby," the nurse looked between the women in the room as she asked this.

Loraine glanced over at Maura, who in turn just grew wide-eyed. Was she asking her to name her too?

"You want us to name her?" Maura asked, under the complete impression that she had misunderstood.

"Yes. I want no part of my daughter's life, and I mean it. She deserves so much better than what I am able to give her right now," Loraine told the older blonde whole-heartedly.

The medical examiner felt tears trickling down her face, and quickly tried to wipe them away with one hand. She thought about Hope and how hurt she was when she realized that her mother hadn't wanted to be found. This baby would be heartbroken, and there wouldn't be anything that their Maura or Jane could do about it.

Jane went to her wife's side, knowing that this was a touchy subject for her. "Maur, babe, it's okay. It's her choice."

The honey blonde just nodded and leaned into her wife's touch. "I know—" she then added after another breath, "I know."

"How about Kimberly?" Jane asked, glancing down at the dozing child.

Maura smiled through her tears. "Kimberly sounds fine, Jane."

"What about her middle name?"

The medical examiner nodded towards the bed-ridden young woman. "How about Loraine?"

Jane just grinned. "Kimberly Loraine Rizzoli-Isles. Has a nice touch," she then shook the infant's foot, "whatdoya think, Kimmy?"

Maura laughed as their baby gurgled slightly in her sleep. "I think we'll work on the nicknames."

**Well, was the ending fluffy enough? Hope ya'll enjoyed! Reviews are always loved!**


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